


Telling Kaede

by Leaves_Crown



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Acceptance, Coming Out, Family, Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-10
Updated: 2013-04-10
Packaged: 2017-12-08 03:12:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/756332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leaves_Crown/pseuds/Leaves_Crown
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barnaby is afraid that Kotetsu will leave him if Kaede doesn't accept them being together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Telling Kaede

Kaede had greeted her father with an open smile when he met her at the station. It was in such stark contrast to the closed doors and slammed phones of a year before that Kotetsu glowed with happiness by the time they reached the apartment. Only less than a month he had lived there, so Bunny still did not refer to it as _his_ home. 

Kotetsu was sure he would get there some day. 

The door opened before he could take out his key. 

“Barnaby-san!” She stood still, for a moment bashful in the face of her idol. “Thanks for having me over.”

“It’s your dad’s house now too.” The younger man smiled and took her bag from Kotetsu’s hands. 

Kaede gestured at her dad, eyes still fixed on him. “I hope he doesn’t cause you too much trouble?” 

“Well…” Bunny raised an eyebrow at Kotetsu.

“Okay, okay! Enough of that.” Kotetsu pushed the younger man away playfully. “You want to see your room?”

But Kaede had not heard him, stared at the minimalist opulence of it all. “You live here?!”

“Yeah. You don’t have to be that surprised.”

“Where’s your room?”

Bunny and Kotetsu exchanged the shortest of glances. They had agreed not to tell her yet, that Bunny’s room and bed were now very much Kotetsu’s as well. 

“Just down the hall,” Kotetsu said therefore and led her to a room that had been a storage place until last week, when they had planned to have Kaede over. 

A simple bed stood next to a cupboard. “You’ll be staying here, do you like it?” 

“This is your room?”

“Eh, yeah.”

“It’s so neat!”

“Bunny cleaned it,” he said quickly. 

She looked under the bed. “Where is your stuff?”

“He stored it somewhere.”

“Barnaby-san must be very good.”

Kotetsu scratched his head. “At what?”

“Cleaning.”

Sensing that whatever he would say, would make her only more suspicious, he changed the subject. “Tonight we’ll go shopping. I saved money to buy you a present!”

Her eyes twinkled. “We’ll buy it together?”

“Don’t want a repeat of what happened with those psycho-bears, so you can choose something yourself,” he said. He turned to the hallway. “Bunny? You coming?”

The blond readjusted his glasses. “You two should spend some time together.”

“I don’t mind,” Kaede piped up. 

Bunny nodded gravely. “Thank you. But I’ll be having dinner with my sponsors anyway.”

“Okay, but you’ll come tomorrow?”

“If you like that.”

“Yes!”

*

Kaede refused to enter the toystore and they ended up in a sports gear shop. Kotetsu wanted to buy her a cute hairband, but she got black leather gloves instead, that she planned to incorporate in her super hero costume. 

“I designed one myself,” she said ominously. 

They stopped at an ice cream parlor and he was glad she had interest in that at least. In between bites, she went off about powers she wanted to practice and super heroes she wanted to meet. This lasted during their ride back, right up until she finally went to bed. 

Barnaby came home around midnight, wine on his breath, but with cool, clear eyes. 

“I missed you.” Kotetsu hugged him after he had taken off his shoes. 

“Ssst!” Barnaby stepped away from his arms and glanced anxiously at the hallway. 

“She’s sleeping. Don’t worry.”

Still keeping his distance, he opened up a bag off goodies. “You think she’ll like it?”

In it was a pink tracksuit littered with labels of sponsors. 

“She’ll might use it for her costume,” Kotetsu said, holding it up. “Oh, she wants you to train her using your powers tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“That’s settled, let’s go to bed then.”

Barnaby sidestepped him. “You should sleep on the sofa.”

“Bunny!”

“It’s just for a few days.”

“I already told her I’ll sleep in your room during her stay. She said nothing.”

“It’s disrespectful to her.”

Kotetsu crossed his arms. “You’re making trouble for nothing.”

“Fine. You sleep there. I’ll go to a hotel.”

“Bunny.” Kotetsu grabbed his arm before he could storm off. “Stay. I’ll be on the sofa.”

Without saying anything or even looking at him, Barnaby strode to his room and closed the door. 

Kotetsu sighed and touched the door with his fingers. He had been looking forward to Bunny after a day of barely seeing him, but he was not angry with his coldness. For he understood where it came from. 

Bunny was afraid. 

Yes, Kaede might idolize him now, Bunny had said the day before she arrived, but if she knew about their relationship, she might not like him so much anymore. And if she did not want them to be together, Kotetsu would leave him.  
Despite all his reassurances that Kaede would never demand something like that, Bunny’s fears had not abated. 

Even the next morning, Bunny still seemed on edge. Kaede seemed oblivious to it and kept asking him questions about topics ranging from power-ups to his hairstyle. 

They left for the trainings centre together, this time Kotetsu the one who made an excuse. He spent the morning watching tv. Without thinking, he lit one of Bunny’s scented candles. It felt empty otherwise. 

Kotetsu had fallen asleep during an infomercial. Their arrival woke him and he stretched. Kaede smiled excitedly. _Good sign_. Some of Bunny’s tension had left him. _Better_. 

“I’ll cook lunch,” the blond said. “Chicken and rice?”

“Don’t fry it!” Kaede called after him. 

He raised two fingers in salute as he walked away. 

Kotetsu patted the sofa. “Sit with your dad for a bit.”

Her eyes widened slightly at his serious tone and she took the spot next to him. “What’s up?”

“You like Barnaby-san?” he asked. 

“Yes.”

“I have to tell you… he…” Somehow talking had turned difficult. That didn’t happen often to him. 

“He likes you, right?”

“Eh?” Kotetsu started, taken aback. 

“You know those ancient shows where a man always has to save a woman?”

“Yeah?”

“Those women always have this look on their face in the end before they kiss the hero. That’s how Barnaby-san looks at you.”

Kotetsu stared at his daughter. “What?”

“He only does it when he thinks you don’t notice.”

“He does it a lot?” he asked, a giddy happiness welling up in him. 

Kaede rolled her eyes, but smiled despite herself. “Yesterday once, and twice at breakfast this morning.”

“Ha!” Kotetsu leaned back. He felt pretty pleased with himself, as he imagined Bunny making doe eyes and swooning behind him. 

“You like him too?”

Kotetsu nodded and ruffled her hair. “You all figured it out, didn’t you?” 

She pulled away her head. “Not so difficult.”

“You have no problem with it?” he asked, earnest again. 

A shrug. “None.”

He pinched her in the shoulder. “Gotta tell Bunny, he was really worried about it.”

“Tell him I don’t mind.”

“BUNNY! SHE ALREADY KNOWS. YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ANYMORE”

Kaede covered her ears. 

The handsome young man rushed to their living room, holding a spoon. He anxiously glanced from one to the other. “Are you saying…?”

Kotetsu grinned at him. “She doesn’t mind. I told you she wouldn’t.” 

“Oh?” An insecure smile formed on his lips. “Kaede-chan?”

“I’m glad you want to take care of him, but don’t let him trash your place, okay?”

The smile turned genuine then. 

“So, are you getting married?”

“Kaede!” 

Bunny spun around, gasping something about burned potatoes and running back to the kitchen.


End file.
